WEST SALEM -- A fitting moment bestowed itself on the congregation of St. Stephen Catholic Church on Sunday with the first Scripture reading from the Book of Deuteronomy. In that passage, Moses spoke to the people of Israel in what some may interpret as a farewell address about God's love for them.

In a like manner, the Rev. Carl Uhler stood for his last Sunday Mass at the West Salem church -- every pew filled -- telling his congregation how much God -- and he -- loves them.

"The story of Moses today hits a little too close for comfort," Uhler said. "Moses is there talking to his people for the last time, telling them to appreciate how much God loves them. ... And here I am today.

"I can't come up with a list of favorite stories," Uhler said of his time at St. Stephen. "Jesus' stories are a lot more important than our stories."

Uhler, 78, is retiring after 53 years as a Catholic priest, nearly the last 22 of them at St. Stephen.

"Thank you for everything. I love you truly," were the last words of his sermon before taking his seat at the altar amid applause.

Uhler said he knew he wanted to become a priest as an adolescent attending St. Benedictine High School in Cleveland.

"I'm telling you, it really did feel like God was calling me. ... There was a peace that came over me," he said.

"This was really a worthwhile life," he said. "When you get to the end of your life, you start seeing what's really important. And I've been lucky as blazes. What a great life this has been."

Born Oct. 8, 1930, Uhler grew up during the Great Depression. Since then, he has spent his time serving God, both through education and philanthropy.

St. Stephen, Uhler said, was the first martyr for Christ whose story unfolds in the Book of Acts. Known in religious history as one of the first deacons and a great teacher of Christ, St. Stephen was stoned to death for his teachings.

Parishioners believe Uhler has aptly served under the name of St. Stephen because he demonstrates that kind of dedication as a teacher of Christ himself,

"We are a part of him and he's a part of us," said parishioner Susan Havel, who has known Uhler since he began at St. Stephen in 1987. "He's not going anywhere. Just like Christ, he may not be here with us physically, but he will always be in our hearts. He's the glue that holds us together."

St. Stephen was established as a mission church in 1974. During his tenure at St. Stephen, Uhler has continued that mission philosophy with regular blood drives, youth and men's groups, outreach and a program called Matthew 25 Coalition, a network of Catholic and Protestant churches that help people with financial and spiritual assistance when other service agencies cannot.

During his retirement, Uhler will work as a part-time chaplain for Marymount Hospital in Garfield Heights. Uhler has worked 12 years in the past as a hospital chaplain.

Ordained May 19, 1956, Uhler performed his first Mass at his childhood parish of St. Timothy in Garfield Heights. His first assignment was June 7, 1956, at Our Lady of Lourdes Church on East 55th Street, Cleveland. And although he has served the ministry in and around Cleveland's urban area, Uhler said he always had wanted to pastor a rural church such as St. Stephen, which has about 300 families.

Uhler began his ministry when Mass was still said in Latin. And though he said he has seen the Catholic church change its approach to the sacraments in his 53 years as a priest, its moral foundation has not differed.

Uhler said faith is "a matter of understanding what our worship is about," but even witnessing 53 years of history as a priest, "our (moral) reasons hold up. The hardest thing is trying to explain the religion."

The Rev. James Schmitz, who has been pastor of St. Ladislaus in Lorain, officially will take over as the new pastor of St. Stephen on Wednesday.

Deacon Pete Foradori, who has worked alongside Uhler for seven years, said those shoes may be hard to fill.

"Besides being a holy man, he's a man of compassion and temperament," Foradori said.

But Uhler said it is important to pass the torch to the younger generation.

"The church is not a particular priest. The church is Jesus," he said.